After waiting 45 seconds for a new wheel, he got back on the bike but had lost valuable time.

He finished the day 18th in overall Tour standings, two minutes and 30 seconds behind race leader Fabian Cancellara, who rode over these same cobbles to a breakaway win in April’s Paris-Roubaix race.

“Sometimes you’re the hammer and sometimes you’re the nail,” Armstrong said outside of his team bus after the race. “Today I was the nail.”

The hammer turned out to be a man named Thor.

Thor Hushovd, a Norwegian sprint specialist riding with Cervelo TestTeam, fought his way to the front of the race and edged out a group of five contenders. After the race, he offered his best advice on how to handle the nasty cobbles.

“You need a lot of luck, to handle the bike well, and don’t take too big of a risk,” he said after his win. “It’s a mix of everything.”